Samoan photographer Evotia Tamua has been documenting Pacific Islands life in her home city of Auckland for over twenty years. Now she has published two works, Pacific Auckland and Polynesian Festival, that present a side of the city that many New Zealanders and visitors seldom experience. Tamua's goal is to capture Pacific Islands communities in moments of time, as they shift, for economic and other reasons, from Ponsonby to Owairaika, from Kingsland to Massey and Otara. Pacific Auckland shows both the vocal and vital aspects of PI life in Auckland – the festivals, sports and music – as well as the quieter more private side – home and family life, and community and church events.

Her second book, Polynesian Festival, is a selection from fifteen years of photographing the ASB PolyFest, Auckland's annual secondary schools cultural contest. Sixty schools from throughout the region compete in this four day extravaganza of music, song and dance. Tamua's photographs of the contestants, backstage and in performance, and of the enthusiastic audiences shows just how significant the event is to the communities and schools these children represent.

Tamua was named one of New Zealand's top 100 Pacific Island achievers – at number 59, just one below rugby hero Jonah Lomu. She and fellow-publisher Tony Murrow first collaborated over ten years ago when they worked on Samoa: Pacific Pride, a Lonely Planet featured work. Evotia's work documents and reflects the contrasts between the Western and the new traditions of the Pacific, the inherited and the new, the young and the old. Passionate about this area, they established Little Island Press in 2007 to publish high-quality photographic and text-based books that connect people and communities – their "cultural communities". "We both appreciate documentary photography, its honesty and directness." says Murrow.

There is more information about Evotia Tamua on her website: evotia.co.nz. Tony Murrow's murrow+co website can be found at: murrow.co.nz